20 Random Fun Facts From “Today I Learned” Online Community (New Pics)

With a huge fanbase of 30.9 million members, the “Today I Learned” Reddit community needs no introduction. The online platform has been educating and entertaining everyone for a very long time. And yet, they never run out of fascinating facts.

#1

Image source: Doomncandy, StudioVK

“TIL that domestic dogs have developed muscles in there brow to “mimic” humans.”

#2

Image source: shaka_sulu, Maybelline

“TIL in 1915 a pharmacist saw his sister make her own mascara with coal and petroleum jelly and thought he could make a better product. His invention was easier to apply and won’t burn a woman’s eye. He named his new company Maybelline after his sister Maybel and the base material Vaseline.”

#3

Image source: PyrowithJared, Shaun Walker

“TIL Environmental activist Julia “Butterfly” Hill lived in a 1500-year-old California redwood tree (known as Luna) 180 feet (55 m) off the ground for 738 days in order to prevent it from being chopped down by Pacific Lumber Company. She successfully saved the tree.”

#4

Image source: PetLoverGuy1993, seventyfourimages

“TIL that dogs intentionally try to make humans laugh. They understand that laughter means play, and play is positive.”

#5

Image source: mmmyesplease—, Queensland State Archives

“TIL in the 1800’s bananas were seen as “immoral fruit” because of their shape. Fruit companies began issuing postcards of women eating bananas to advertise the fruit wasn’t taboo.”

#6

Image source: 28nov2022, quanticfoundry.com

“TIL On PC/console games, about 60% of the female avatars you meet are played by a male player.”

#7

Image source: Standard-Assist-5793, Matthew Komatsu

“TIL Japan has a ‘wind phone’. An unconnected phone booth where grieving relatives go to ‘talk’ to their lost loved ones. Opened after the 2011 Fukushima earthquake/tsunami, it has seen over 30,000 visitors.”

#8

Image source: daesereg, pacificwarmuseum.org

“TIL That in 1941, USS New York opened fire on an object, believing it to be a japanese aircraft. Fire commenced until a navigator realized they were shooting at Venus.”

#9

Image source: haddock420, viki2win

“TIL The average life span of a pet cat has risen from seven years in the early 1980s to fifteen years as of 2021.”

#10

Image source: meep_launcher, Toglenn

“TIL Jonathan Goldsmith, AKA The Most Interesting Man in the World from the Dos Equis commercials, has been an advocate for landmine victim support, has assisted the effort to prevent and cure cancer in dogs, save the Siberian Tiger, and end child sex trafficking in Cambodia.”

#11

Image source: visiblecustomer2021, quirkbooks.com

“TIL that Sea Urchins are called Sea Urchins because Hedgehogs used to be called Urchins until about the 15th century. Sea Urchins are Ocean Hedgehogs.”

#12

Image source: my__name__is, McKay Savage

“TIL about Third Man Syndrome. An unseen presence reported by mountain climbers and explorers during traumatic survival situations that talks to the victim, gives practical advise and encouragement.”

#13

Image source: Iestwyn, en.wikipedia.org

“TIL about the thymus, a small (1 oz.) organ behind the sternum that trains new white blood cells to NOT attack the body’s own cells. Only 2% survive this rigorous training program; the rest commit suicide to prevent themselves from attacking friendly cells.”

#14

Image source: Paesano19, ivanmorenosl

“TIL about hysterical strength, a display of extreme physical strength by humans, beyond what is believed to be normal. Examples include a woman saved several children by fighting a polar bear and a woman lifting a car high enough to save a person.”

#15

Image source: Kurma-the-Turtle, Ethan Doyle White

“TIL that in 1554 Elizabeth Crofts hid in a wall on Aldersgate Street, where she pretended to be a heavenly voice. Reputedly 17,000 people came to listen to her give out anti-Catholic propaganda.”

#16

Image source: Splashlight2, Christopher_Boswell

“TIL mixed-breed dogs live an average of 14 years while purebreds live only an average of almost 10 years.”

#17

Image source: PyrowithJared, Eric Connolly

“TIL Willie O’Ree, the first black man to play in the NHL, was blind in one eye. It was caused by a ricocheting puck that hit him in the face when he was 18 and he kept it a secret for his entire 21-year career.”

#18

Image source: fencerman, monkeybusiness

“TIL – The Middle Ages had retirement homes, where seniors could buy residence for the rest of their lives at a monastery with food, shelter and clothing included.”

#19

TIL a “ferocious rabbit” ran amok in Central Park in 1917. He terrorized the sheep in Sheep Meadow, maimed dogs, and fought an orangutan in the zoo.

Image source: cy_ko8

#20

Image source: griefofwant, Alex_star

“TIL when an American film has more than one writer, an “&” indicates that the screenwriters collaborated on the script. An “and” means they worked independently on separate drafts.”